Marc Frey

Senior Director

• mfrey@steptoe.com
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• Washington Office

Marc Frey is a Senior Director in the Washington office of Steptoe & Johnson LLP, where he helps clients navigate the complexities and policies at the nexus of international business and security.

Prior to joining the firm Dr. Frey was Chief of Staff for the Office of Policy Development at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). He worked extensively with DHS’s agencies – including the Transportation Security Administration, Customs and Border Protection, and Immigration Customs Enforcement – to implement policies regarding aviation and border security, travel and trade facilitation, and international information sharing and law enforcement cooperation.

Dr. Frey previously served in the Department as Director of the Visa Waiver Program (VWP).  In that role, he directed the successful interagency effort to enhance the security of and expand the VWP. In addition, he oversaw the development and implementation of VWP policy and program activities within the US Government; led US Government negotiations with participating countries; and managed the statutorily required security assessments of 36 member countries. He also served as the Senior Advisor to the Department’s Chief Security Officer, where he shaped counterintelligence, law enforcement, facility protection, contingency planning, and other security-related policies and programs.

Prior to his service at DHS, Dr. Frey worked as an analyst on national and homeland security issues for both Lockheed Martin and Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC). At SAIC, he specialized in assessments of long-range trends and emerging technologies and capabilities for the Department of Defense.

Dr. Frey is a senior associate (non-resident) with the Center for Strategic and International Studies; serves on the Executive Board of the National Defense Industrial Association's (NDIA) Homeland Security Division; and is a member of the American Council on Germany and the Atlantic Council of the United States. He has served as an adjunct professor at Temple University and is on the board of its Center for the Study of Force and Diplomacy. 

Select News & Events

• Future of Aviation Screening Technology: Innovation and Implementation, CSIS Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Program, November 17, 2011
• Orlando Sentinel Quotes Marc Frey on Visa Waiver Program for Brazil
• Transatlantic Homeland Security Cooperation: Can we stop the next 9/11?”, September 17, 2010
• "Stopping Terrorists at the Front Door: How the Visa Waiver Program Enhances US Security " at The Heritage Foundation, July 20, 2010
• McClatchy-Tribune News Service Publishes Op-Ed by Marc Frey and Stephen Heifetz
• The Air Cargo Screening Mandate, June 16, 2010
• Global Mobility Workshop, June 10, 2010, (A Steptoe-Sponsored Event)
• Marc Frey Joins NDIA Homeland Security Division's Executive Board
• The Path Forward for Joining the Visa Waiver Program, Heritage Foundation Roundtable, June 1, 2010
• Stephen Heifetz and Marc Frey Join Steptoe & Johnson LLP

Selected Publications

• OHL Solutions Fined $1 Million for Failing to Screen Cargo
  February 10, 2012
• Mobility Matters Bulletin - July 2011
  July 7, 2011
• Security Partnerships Bulletin - July 2011
  July 7, 2011
• Mobility Matters Bulletin - February 2011
  February 25, 2011
• Security Partnerships Bulletin - February 2011
  February 24, 2011
• Mobility Matters Bulletin - November 2010
  November 4, 2010
• Security Partnerships Bulletin - November 2010
  November 4, 2010
• Legal Ease: Plain Talk on Legal Topics - Prep Work
  November 2010, Leader's Edge

More Publications »

Professional Affiliations

• Executive Board, National Defense Industrial Association's (NDIA) Homeland Security Division
• Senior Associate, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Program
• Member, Atlantic Council of the United States
• Member, American Council on Germany (ACG)
• Member, Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations